Exuberant over congressional approval of two bills despite fierce opposition from some sectors, President Aquino on Wednesday called the General Appropriations Act of 2013 an “empowerment budget.”

The President himself indicated to senators and members of the House of Representatives that he expected both the reproductive health (RH) and the sin tax measures on his table before Dec. 31 for his signature.

A beaming President Aquino signed the P2.006-trillion national budget for the coming year that includes allocation for the RH bill that he hoped to sign into law before the year ends.

The budget consists of new general appropriations of P1.250 trillion and automatic appropriations of P755 billion.

Education, health, agriculture and a cash-transfer scheme for the poor are the key priorities of the appropriations, which are 10.5-percent higher than the 2012 national budget, the President said during the signing ceremony.

“We designed this budget as an instrument to give the common man the power to control and improve his life,” Mr. Aquino said. The budget sets aside P44.2 billion for “conditional cash transfer,” up 12 percent from this year.

Budget for RH

Strategic Communication Secretary Ricky Carandang said the allocation for the RH measure had been incorporated in the budget of the Department of Budget and Management.

“We’ve been actually allocating money for that since we came in. What the RH law does is it’s not going to make it a matter of policy; it’s going to make it a matter of law,” Carandang later told reporters, but could not specify the amount.

The proposed RH law provides free services and supplies to the poor, and health and sexuality education to students, and offers a full range of modern family planning methods.

The budget measure, adopted without any line being vetoed, includes an P8-billion allocation for projects proposed by local government units.

“We designed this budget as an instrument to bring back to the people the power to determine their own fate,” the President told lawmakers led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Senators Franklin Drilon and Edgardo Angara, Cabinet officials, business executives and guests.

The Senate and the House separately ratified the General Appropriations Act on Dec. 5.

The budget is broken down into P640.18 billion (personal services), P1.040 trillion (maintenance and other operating expenditures or MOOE) and P325.50 billion (capital outlay).

Congress has a total budget of P10.4 billion, broken down into Senate’s P3.2 billion, and House of Representatives’ P6.3 billion.

The Office of the President has a budget of P2.7 billion; the Office of the Vice President, P416 million.

P232.6B for DepEd

The lion’s share of the budget would go to social services, with the Department of Education (DepEd) getting P232.6 billion; Department of Social Welfare and Development, P56.3 billion; and Department of Health, P51.1 billion, according to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

Economic development would be backstopped by the P325.5-billion capital outlay, up by 17.3 percent from this year’s budget, and the infrastructure program of the Department of Public Works and Highways, which is allotted P155.5 billion, Abad said.

Abad said the budget law included P44.2 billion for conditional cash transfer.

The three-year-old scheme gives up to P1,400 a month to the poorest families who meet certain criteria, like keeping their children in school and bringing them, as well as pregnant family members, regularly to government health clinics.

Government officials said this gives their children a better opportunity to get out of destitution.

More than 26 percent of the country’s population of about 100 million are deemed by the government to be living in poverty.

Bottom-up budgeting

In his speech, the President made special mention of the P8.4-billion allocation for projects proposed by local officials in the countryside.

“We started the process for bottom-up budgeting where 595 of the poorest municipalities linked arms with their communities to identify the projects and programs that should be included in the budget. Because of this new process, some P8.4-billion programs and projects from the municipalities and communities are included in the 2013 national budget,” he said.

Because of the ban on infrastructure spending by local government units in connection with May elections, the government would roll out a substantial portion of the budget in the first half to jump-start projects, including the Public Private Partnership program, Abad said.

“We’re also anticipating feverish spending for the May 2013 elections during that period. All in all, this spells robust growth for us in the first semester, further supporting the economic upswing we’ve sustained over the last 12 months,” Abad said.

Five principles

The President said five principles governed the crafting of the budget measure: deepening the social contract with Filipinos; fast-tracking the implementation of priority programs; strengthening accountability of public institutions; empowerment; and designing the budget with the people.

“This day, we’re not only enacting into law every peso that the government will spend in 2013. More than the numbers and the legal provisions in this thick book that we signed earlier, we believe that the national budget includes the Filipino people’s desires,” he said.

“Through this budget, we want to prove that we’re in power not to focus on our personal interest, but to ensure that the doors of opportunities are opening to our countrymen, especially those in the fringes of society,” he added.

The President acknowledged Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who was conspicuously absent, for the passage of the national budget while tackling equally crucial pieces of legislation such as the RH bill and sin tax measure.

“Of course, I expect these bills to land on my table for signing at the soonest possible time, preferably this year,” he said, drawing chuckles. With a report from AFP

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Proof? Development is primarily based on the number of improvements and construction of infrastructures for the public. Pnoy started the PPP, private public partnership. For the past 3 years of his term, only two projects have been awarded, none of which have been delivered yet. The first one being the daang hari slex connector, a 4 km road linking daang hari to slex, 4 km hindi matapos tapos. And 2 projects palang ang awarded? If that is the rate of production his talk is producing, i see that’s more than enough proof he’s more talk and less action.

http://twitter.com/alfs_alfs Pons Corpuz

I thought it took GMA nine (9) years before her “works” has been felt. Then you expect a project awarded 1-2 years ago to be completed now?

http://profile.yahoo.com/J6ZIP2ZW3T6ZFRJCRBAJNXLIFY Sabian

Before the slex connector was awarded to ayala it was already more than half finished kasi originally kay gma project yan. 4km lang yan. And 3 years of parading the ppp, how come 2 palang ang awarded? Ang daming developments na kailangan, bakit walang naisasatupad? Have you seen the website of the PPP? The second project awarded are schools which are easily implemented by the local government units. Effectively, no project has been awarded to service our country on a grander scale. Airport’s a mess, LRT and MRT working but clearly needs additional coaches etc. in a span of 9 years, we have seen the sctex delivered (100 plus km), MRT 2, slex extension (10 km?), Naia 3 opened. RORO network. GMA was corrupt but she had a better work rate output than PNOY.

And why does GMA always have to come up when PNOy’s sluggishness is being brought up? Yun na ba yun? That’s your benchmark of success, si GMA? If PNOy preceded FVR, you would be singning a different tune i guess.

boldyak

hahaha…si GMA na naman sinisi..haha

boldyak

hahaha…compare na naman…

http://twitter.com/alfs_alfs Pons Corpuz

Why not? All things in this world are relative. You make analysis base on relative comparison.

Your_King

Just open your eyes and you will see the proof. Aquino is living off the gains that the previous Administration initiated, everything else he’s done is just talk and make promises which he has yet to deliver on.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W4RTNUSX3BQCWCDQAA562BFC5I Lito G

Yeah, I opened my eyes. Thanks for your advice. Now I can see that crooks of previous administration are going to jail and very likely to rot there. Now I also see some positive change in the country, though not yet the ideal and still would need more follow-up actions, but at least some things are changing for the better. Thanks for the advice again.

Your_King

Jailing people is not the main solution for economic problems. Aquino would have you believe that jailing people from the previous Administration with or without evidence will somehow solve the Philippines’ crisis…it will not. I’m glad i was able to enlighten you with these new information. You are welcome.

By the way, we were alot better during the 60’s and 70’s. we were still one of the top countries in asia and dollar against peso is not as far as today so you stop stating things you dont know. What an idi.ot. May pa with S ka pa diyan.

Your_King

“Hard numbers”? Thanks to PNoy unemployment is hitting over 12 million Filipinos. The “hard numbers” just showed that unemployment has gotten worse to the point that there are so many Filipinos leaving the country to work abroad. If the Philippines’ is better off then why are so many Filipinos leaving the country.

malay mo? presidente mo? do something good for yourself, your family, and your country instead of hanging around in internet to complain about govt…

Your_King

Any economic growth that the Aquino is boasting about is due to all the spending that is taking place because of the elections. On top of that, its the OFW’s remittances that is causing economic growth.

Finally, the empowering national budget to empower LP candidates in May 2013. Credit should also go to Senator Franklin Drilon, whose bloated necklessness is the perfect image of pork, bacon and lard. Picture perfect.

martial_law_baby

Dumale ka na naman. You call that critical thinking? The point is, you will never be satisfied with what this government is going to do or will accomplish. You are just masquerading yourself as a critical thinker but in reality, you are just a perennial cynic. I am sure you are salivating and praying that this government fails to deliver. Its like betting against the Filipinos. So unpatriotic. Dun ka sa VMMC magpa hinga. Huwag mong kalimutan yung wheel chair mo. Bawi na lang kayo sa susunod na election.

boldyak

what is unpatriotic and patriotic acts?… do you have the monopoly to know what is patriotic and what is not?…that is what is wrong with people who think they are the only one who is right and others are always wrong….get a life…

martial_law_baby

Unpatriotic is when you are betting against your own race. Basahin mo nga maigi yung mga post ni Edgar Edgar. Wala kang gagawing tama sa kanya. he is the one you should be calling attention to. His opinion claims monopoly of the truth. And I have a good life cause I know how to appreciate things when needed to and call a spade when it is a spade. you should be the one who should get a life. Magsama kayo ni Edgar Edgar.

http://profile.yahoo.com/J6ZIP2ZW3T6ZFRJCRBAJNXLIFY Sabian

What the hell is betting against your own race? Just Because you disagree with your leader doesnt make you unpatriotic. At pinagyabang pa yung good life! I have doubts with the timing of the budget as election is fast approaching. Foreign analysts have been critizing Pnoy’s non spending the past years causing delays in infrastracture projects tapos ngayon aariba siya ng labas ng pera dahil election na. Very dubious talaga!

“The three-year-old scheme gives up to P1,400 a month to the poorest families who meet certain criteria, like keeping their children in school and bringing them, as well as pregnant family members, regularly to government health clinics.”….so this government started this scheme???

boldyak

“We designed this budget as an instrument to bring back to the people the power to determine their own fate,” ….hahahaha…why not just say we are giving condoms free, ever since people didn’t loss their power to determine their fate…still hiding on beautiful words as if it never exists before….what a crap….